Founding Donors Of The Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program Applaud The Los Angeles County Board Of Supervisors For Approving A Motion Which Calls For A Comprehensive Pre-Exposure Prophilaxis (PrEP) Plan In L.A. County
The motion will require the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Services to develop and implement a plan for a robust, comprehensive program to deliver PrEP countywide.
LOS ANGELES, June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The founding donors of the Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program at AIDS Project Los Angeles are applauding the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for approving a motion which calls for a comprehensive Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) plan in Los Angeles County on Wednesday. The motion, introduced by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, will require the Department of Public Health and the Department of Health Services to develop and implement a robust, comprehensive program to deliver PrEP countywide.
"This motion is a substantial milestone for people living in Los Angeles County who are HIV negative and want to stay that way," said Brian Pendleton, who along with his partner Chad Goldman provided initial funding for the Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program at APLA Health & Wellness' Gleicher/Chen Health Center.
"We salute Supervisor Kuehl for leading this motion and we praise the LA Country Board of Supervisors for passing it. PrEP is another tool to help people stay HIV negative and we believe everyone who is negative should have access to it regardless of their health coverage, income levels or immigration status," Pendleton added.
Pendleton and Goldman have been advocating for increased access to PrEP since 2012, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the drug Truvada for use as PrEP among sexually active adults at risk for HIV infection. In 2014, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed PrEP as an HIV prevention strategy and issued clinical guidelines for PrEP. Later that year, APLA Health & Wellness launched the Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program as integral component of services at the Gleicher/Chen Health Center in Baldwin Hills, with a focus on HIV-negative gay and bisexual men in low-income communities of color.
"Imagine in the 1980s, if someone told us there is a little blue pill that if taken daily will protect us from contracting HIV/AIDS. Without a doubt, people would have done anything to get access to those pills," said Pendleton.
"People today, especially younger generations simply do not view HIV/AIDS as a problem because they didn't grow up in a time when all the people around them were dying. HIV infection rates in Los Angeles County are still alarming, especially among younger gay and bisexual men. Fortunately today, that little blue pill does exist, and we have an obligation to help educate people and get them access to PrEP in our lifetime," Pendleton added.
The Department of Public Health is now required to report back to the Board of Supervisors within 30 days on the PrEP program implementation plan, including details on who will be served and when the various components of the program will be implemented.
The plan will be required to include a broad range of medical providers, including community-based organizations and clinics that can effectively provide PrEP to communities that are disproportionately impacted by HIV.
For more information on the Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program, visit http://www.aplahw.org/prep/.
SOURCE Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program
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